"Golden Feather" for "You Are Germany"

Yet another award for "Du bist Deutschland – You Are Germany:" The motivation campaign initiated by Bertelsmann was awarded Verlagsgruppe Bauer’s "Golden Feather" yesterday. On behalf of the numerous participating media companies, headed by Bertelsmann AG with the involvement of Gruner + Jahr, Motor Presse Stuttgart, RTL Group, and RTL Interactive, the former Executive Vice President of the Corporate Communications department, Bernd Bauer, and an actor from one of the spots, Paralympics winner Wojtek Czyz, accepted the award. It was presented within the framework of a gala at Hamburg's Chamber of Commerce with more than 400 top-caliber guests from the media, entertainment, politics, and business. Publisher Florian Langenscheidt gave a speech praising the biggest social marketing campaign in the history of the Federal Republic of Germany. In March, "You Are Germany" received a bronze Lead Award. 

The "Golden Feather" has been presented since 2000 in its current form. Between 1992 and 1998 the award was strictly reserved for print media journalists. The new concept defines the award as a "media award" and honors individuals who have achieve sustained success in and with the media.

Author Siegfried Lenz, actress Veronica Ferres, soprano Lucia Aliberti, the hosts Gerhard Delling and Günter Netzer received a "Golden Feather" in other categories. All of the award winners were selected by a jury of editors-in-chief of Verlagsgruppe Bauer. 

The pro bono campaign "You Are Germany" was launched on TV in September 2005 with a unique concept. It was also broadly communicated through daily newspapers and magazines, movie theaters, online media, and outdoor advertising. The campaign ended in February with a positive result. According to Gunter Thielen the campaign has contributed to a change of mood in Germany.